Ruffled Laundry Bag

Calling all girly girls! Even when this ruffled cotton canvas bag is empty, it's loaded with personality. It's intended to be an oversized laundry bag, but we thought it'd be a great place to stash lingerie, scarves, stockings and other delicates. Or it'd make a fun overnight bag.
@ Layla Grace, $50

Bronze Sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Any of these bronze sculptures would add a focal point -- and a major dose of sophistication -- to a home. We've coveted the Goddess Uma sculpture for more than decade now, which means we really ought to just splurge for it. It's from a master mold of a 9th—10th century Nepalese original.

The dancers are reproductions cast from molds by Edgar Degas (French, 1834—1917) in the Museum's collection. The top is called the Spanish Dance and the bottom image is just known as the Dancer. The Medici horse was made by Giovanni Bologna (Italian, 1527—1608) and experts believe that it was cast in the workshop of sculptor Giovanni Susini.
@ Metropolitan Museum of Art, from $325-$450

Oversized Tufted Ottomans

These plush, hand-tufted are huge, chic and they look so comfortable. At 50"x50" (more than four square feet), they're large enough to work as a table, an ottoman and extra seating... at the same time. They come in cotton and velvet, in white, apple, cocoa and charcoal.
@ Brocade Home, $1,600

Uncoventional Christmas Color Palettes

In case you've gotten a bit tired of the standard red-and-green decor, here are a few fun -- and slightly funky -- examples of how to give the holidays a fresh coat of paint. We found them in Country Living's holiday decorating slideshow, and like how they transform turquoise, fuschia, orange and muted neutrals into festive seasonal looks.

Snow & Graham Letterpress Holiday Cards

Letterpress cards are such a pretty way to send holiday cheer. Snow & Graham makes holiday sets for every taste. We especially liked these, featuring marshmallow-topped mugs of cocoa, candy cans, mittens and birch trees, all in yummy colored inks. They'd take a starring role in any holiday card display. They can be personalized with your name and if you're overwhelmed this season, the folks at Lux Paperie will stamp and mail them for you.
@ Lux Paperie, $14/set of 6

Garden Pride Candelabra at Anthropologie

Love this romantic and somewhat fantastical candelabra in silver and bone white ceramic. It reminds of a warm summer evening, which makes it especially nice to see when the weather outside is frightening.
@ Anthropologie, $188
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TapeSwell Gift Wrap Tape

If creative gift-wrapping is one of the highlights around X-mas, check out these patterned gift tapes from TapeSwell. They have more than 25 decorative styles, and an entire line of fun holiday tapes. They've got combo packs with two rolls that are designed to look great when combined. This would dress up plain white or kraft paper-wrapped gifts in a super-cute way.
@ TapeSwell, from $7

Bailey Doesn't Bark

I love the clean simplicity of these mugs & dish towel from Bailey Doesn't Bark. The NYC- based company sells cushions, candles and other pretty goods, but their ceramics are our personal favorite. The Postcup is customizable with the help of your oven and a pen, and the teabag mug - with nothing more than a simple outline -- is one of the sweetest things we've seen in a while.
@ Bailey Doesn't Bark, from $22

Wall Hangings from Ballard Designs

Normally, we don't look to catalog and chain stores for wall decor, but we've noticed some eye-catching, unique items at Ballard Designs lately.

Shown here are a quartet of marble dessert tiles/trivets, a trio of iron metal crown plaques, a trio of historical plaster castings from French architectural reliefs on wood and a bunch of hooks designed to like antique kitchen scales.
@ Ballard Designs, from $35.

Style Counsel: David Stark on Modern Holiday Decor

We're completely smitten with David Stark's holiday collection for West Elm. It embodies the design philosophies that we value most: Simplicity, freshness, sustainability and, as you see, gorgeous minimalism.

The West Elm collection was inspired by the quiet, soothing still-lifes by Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, fused with David's commitment to sustainable design. (He made the amazing, overscale cardboard art pieces auctioned off at West Elm's recent Manhattan opening. His thoughtful interpretation of trees, wreathes and stars are hand-crafted from recycled materials, and give us a new take on celebrating the season.


Morandi still life and Stark's oversized cardboard outlet

We invited David, who is best-known as one of NYC's hottest event planners, to share his tips on how to capture the the same merry, minimal holiday style, especially for those of us who go into tinsel-and-ornament shock around this time of year. In fact, we suspect that pretty much everyone is ready for a welcome and meaningful alternative.

Natural Weave 2' and 6' Trees

Neutrals Are the New Red & Green
One way to make neutral tones and materials festive is to merge earthy materials with iconic holiday shapes like stars and cones. We re-interpreted these forms in twine or other natural materials, and right now, they signal the holidays. But we approach design so that any item can be used year round. For example, you can keep a minimalist topiary near an entry door or on a fireplace mantle, but decorate with ornaments or pin cards to them to make them more festive. Once the holidays are over, store the ornaments but keep the topiary in place. I love items that have multiple uses and can be transformed in a variety of ways.


Sparkly decor wreathes, picks and silver bullion ball ornaments

Use Metallics Wisely
Pairing metallics with earthy textures creates a holiday look that is the epitome of understated chic and seasonally merriment. Use gold and silver in spare doses for maximum impact. To avoid crossing over into cheesy, overdone holiday looks, imagine you are adding jewelry to an outfit. Like getting dressed for a party, a pair of gold or silver earrings or a necklace enhance an outfit, not take it over. The holidays are a historically a time when people’s taste flies out the window, but it doesn’t mean you have to jump on the band wagon.

Let Nature In
I love that nature can transform design to such extreme ends. Add a touch or a big helping (whatever your desire) of live plant material a space. While flowers aren't a must for your vase, holiday foliage is both long lasting and instantly propels the look to the season. Add a bough of blue spruce or a giant pine cone to some neutral bottles some perfect holiday cheer. Reuse the same bottles in late summer table with giant sunflowers. (Above: Natural weave stars)

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle
Look to your recycling bin for decorating solutions! Empty wine bottles, beer bottles, even empty food cans can be wrapped in twine and string, transforming waste into elegant vases. I'm very proud that we used recycled bottles for our West Elm designs, and gave them new life. I created minimalist forms inspired by Morandi's paintings, and knowing that we are treading a little more lightly on this earth makes this collection mean so much more to me.

Sheer Drum Shade from Pottery Barn

Here's a super-pretty way to filter light and soften up a room: A sheer lampshade. Pottery Barn has a new shade has a modern drum shape and a diaphanous, airy feel that make this seem fresh, hip and almost (but not quite) girly. Plus, it's available at a great price.
@ Pottery Barn, $29.

Terai Folding Chairs

Don't you just love the look of these chairs? They're casual, colorful, exotic and unfussy. The mismatched fabrics are made with Kantha-style embroidery and scraps of vivid cotton upholstery fabrics. We think they'd add a major splash of color and personality to a room.
@ Anthropologie, $198